PERFUMES

Olivier Polge could be described as a perfumer against his will. The senior creative director for Chanel's fragrance segment originally wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and learn the craft of a "nose". However, his dream of becoming a concert pianist fell through due to his talent. Born in Grasse in 1971, the son of Chanel legend Jacques Polge decided to study art history. His father got him a student job at Chanel, which changed his life forever. Olivier Polge immediately gave up his studies to follow the family tradition. He began some training at Charabot in Grasse and the Swiss family business AC&M Parfums. He began his career as a trainee at IFF - International Flavors & Fragrances in 1998. In 2013, Chanel successfully poached him from there. In 2015, he took over from his father, after his father's retirement, as head of Chanel's entire fragrance segment.